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(No Model.) 2-SheetsSheet 1. W. C. WOOD.

GIRDER RAIL AND ITS FASTENING;

No. 433,923. Patented Aug. 5, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. O. WOOD.

GIRDER RAIL AND ITS PASTENINGL No. 433,928. Patented-Aug. 5, 1890.

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WILLIAM OLARK WOOD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOHNWV. FOWLER, OF SAME PLACE.

GlRDER-RAI'L AND ITS FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,923, dated August5, 1890.

Application filed May 9, 1889. Serial No.310,135. (N0 modeLl To all whomit may concern.-

Beit known that I, XVILLIAM CLARK YVOOD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Girder'Rails and their Chairs, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to girder-rails for different kinds of streetrailways or tramways; and it consists in such a rail having a dependingelastic web along each edge, in combination with chairs, each of whichhas a downwardly-tapcrin g seat portion, and clamping devices which drawthe rail-webs inward against the sides'of said seat portions of thechairs, and in the preferred arrangement are located below the loweredges of the railwebs, as regards their bolts, as hereinafter more fullyset forth.

The objects of the invention are, first, to combine in a light-weightgirder-rail and its chairs the requisite rigidity in a verticaldirection and adaptation to be readilybent laterally for curves, withsuperior provision against working loose at the ends of the rails orelsewhere; and, secondly, to fasten the rail in the manner above statedwithout perforating or notching it in any way.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents acrosssection of a girder-railillustrating this invention. Fig. 2 represents an outer side view of theadjoining ends of two such rails with a double or broad clamp chairfitted for use at joints. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section of theclamped rail and a corresponding elevation of one of the chairs. Fig. 4represents an outer side view of a single or narrow chair with a railclamped thereon. Fig. 5 represents-a cross-section through the way of acable road, showing like clamp-chairs cast on a conduit-yoke. Fig. 5represents, on a larger scale, one of the combined bolts andclamp-plates indicated in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 rep resents a cross-section ofa groove-rail constructed and fastened according to this invention; andFig. 7 represents a vertical section through 7 7, Fig. 6.

Like letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the severalviews.

The rails R R" are constructed with normally vertical webs w at bothsides, and these in turn are provided with outwardly-pro-' jectingflanges f, preferably beveled on top. Being rolled hot, as is customary,the rails possess a, considerable degree of elasticity, and their webs wconsequently tend to spring back to their original set, (illustrated byFig. 1,) when they are drawn. toward each other, for example, ashereinafter described, and as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6.

The rails B have a specially designed and preferred side-bearing top andthe rails R have a specially designed and preferred groove-rail top; butfor the purposes of the present invention the rail-top may be of anyapproved section. An internal longitudinal groove 9 in the back of thebearing portionof the rail-top at the outer side of the rail isconveniently common to the two special sections above referred to. Y

The chairs O O C O are in common constructed with upper ends or seatportions fitted at top to the back of the top of the rail, including,preferably, said groove g,which assists the inner Web in resisting thetendency of the rails of a track to spread apart under strain. (SeeFigs. 3, 5, and 6.) Said seat portion of each chair tapers downward inwidth as far as the webs of the rail extend, and immediately below thispoint each chair is provided with a tubular port-ion t, eXt-ending fromside to side, to which abolt B or B or B is fitted. At one or both endsof the bolthole of said tubular portion t each chair is further providedwith a projection or projections, each of which has a face f located atits bottom and preferably beveled to match that of the rail-flange fabove it, and each pair of clamp-faces thus formed is embraced by aclamp-plate P or P or P or P having flanges or projections with facesmatching those of the rail-flange and chair projection, as shown inFigs. 3, 5, and 6, and drawn into effective coaction therewith by thecorresponding bolt.

The bolts B, Figs. 2 to l, are ordinary screwbolts with square heads hand nuts 92, and are fitted with the washer'like clamp plates P and P orP and P according to the width of chair, each clamp-plate P having ribsr on its back to hold thehead of the bolt, while the plates P P arewithout such ribs, so as to coact with the nuts 12. Two widths of theplate P would be employed corresponding, respectively, with P and P Thebolts B Figs. 5 and 5*, have the clampplates P united therewith asheads, and their threaded ends coact with nuts 01. and clampplates P orP as above described.

The bolt B Figs. 6 and 7, has a hook 71 to coact with the flange fat theouter side of F the rail, and is fitted with a clamp-plate P or P andwith a key It, by way of illustration,

" at its other end.

The chairs 0, O and O terminate alike .be-

I ow their clamp-faces f in knee-bases, which ire fastened down incustomary manner by means of bolts or spikes s to sunken crossl thesubject-matter of my specification form- The chairs Fig. 5, are confinedto the ties on foundations of any approved kind.

V r-seat and clamp portions above described, and

are formed on or cast to a conduit-yoke Y,

which otherwise, together with its slot-rails S S, may be of anyapproved pattern. In connection with chairs having suchdownwardly-taperingseatportionsandclamp-bolts, by which the webs of therails are drawn against their converging sides, the screw-n uts or keysof the bolts are kept under tension by the elasticity of the rail-webs,and thus securely locked, while the rail is dovetailed down uponthechair. The spring of the railwebs serves also to take up what littlewear there may be between the rail and the chair.

In connection with chairs having such downwardly-tapering seat portionsand clamping devices located below the lower edges of the rail-webs, therails are securely fastened down, as aforesaid,without being weakened byholes or notches.

I am aware that rigid rails or rail-caps have been dovetailed to chairswith the aid of internal keys, and do not, therefore, broadly claimdownward1y=tapering seat portions. In my system the elastic webs of therail are normally vertical,-as shown in Fig. 1, and are drawn in by theclamp-bolts with the advantages above set forth.

Various modifications which have occurred I do not claim herein theabove-described clamping devices and their combination with the railsand chairs; nor the provision of the chairs with said projections, eachof which has a face f 2 located at its bottom and preferably beveled tomatch the face of the railflange f above it, the pair of clamp-facesthus formed being embraced by a clamp-plate having flanges orprojections with faces matching those of the rail-flanges and chairprojections, as aforesaid, whereby provision is made for drawing therail down upon its seat on the chair when the bolts are tightened. Allthis part of my original invention is made ing part of a divisionalapplication for patent filed in the United States Patent Oflice November1, 1889, Serial No. 328,906, and is hereby disclaimed as forming no partof the invention intended to be claimed in this specification.

Having thus described the said girder rails and chairs, I claim as myinvention and desire to patent under this specification- 1. Agirder-rail having a top of an approved section and anormally-verticalweb along each edge, in combination with a chair having adownwardly-tapering seat portion,

and clamping devices which engage with said webs and draw them againstthe converging sides of said seat portion, substantially as hereinbeforespecified.

2. A girder-rail having a top of an ap: proved section and anormally-vertical web along each edge, in combination with a chairhaving a downwardly-tapering seat portion and provided immediately belowthe lower edges of the rail-webs with clamping devices which engage withsaid webs and draw them against the converging sides of said seatportion, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

WVILLIAM CLARK WOOD.

Witnesses:

' HERMANN HARMS,

WILLIAM IOELE.

